1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the recording control technology, and it particularly relates to a technology in which a recording region in the recording medium is managed in units of a recording region, each unit having a predetermined size with contiguous logical addresses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thanks to the recent advancement of IT (Information Technology), the audio/video data (hereinafter referred to as “AV data” also) are recorded, as digital data, in the recording media such as CDs (Compact Disc) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Disc) and one can enjoy the AV data by reproducing them. The recording method by use of the digital data is advantageous in that the tone and image quality thereof is superior compared to the conventional analog recording and almost no degradation is caused. Though the analog-recorded musical data are still favored by the small group of people, the field of the musical data are now almost completely taken over by the digitally recorded CDs, DVDs and so forth.
As for the video data as well, the digital-based recording/reproducing method as in DVDs or the like is widely spreading among users who seek higher tone and image quality. Spurred by the recent trend in the digitization of the television broadcast, the public attention is focused on the digital recording/reproducing technology using the mass-storage magnetic recording disks such as DVDs and hard disks, instead of the conventional video tapes and the like.
The UDF (Universal Disk Format) which can handle the mass-storage disks storing the large-capacity files such as video data is on its way to the wider acceptance as a file system that guarantees the disk exchange between computer systems. For details, see e.g. OSTA:Optical Storage Technology Association, “Universal Disk Format Specification Revision 2.01”<http: www.osta.org/specs/pdf/udf201.pdf>. By using the UDF, the storage modes and data management methods for the media such as CDs, DVDs and hard disks are standardized, so that the data exchange among different hardware, software, operating systems and so forth can be smoothly carried out.
When the AV data acquired from the broadcast wave are recorded on the media, the AV data are transmitted at a predetermined bit rate and therefore need to be written in sequence. Moreover, when the recorded AV data are to be reproduced, the AV data must be supplied at a predetermined bit rate. Otherwise, the reproduced images suffer distortion or the like. Thus, the data must be read out continuously so as not to cause delay. However, since the UDF is not formed on the presumption that the data requiring such real time processing is recorded and reproduced, there is a need of developing a new technology by which to guarantee the real time processing.